Shrine of Mary Most Holy Advocate

The shrine of Maria Santissima Avvocata above Maiori is a Marian place of worship, located at a height of 827 meters on Mount Falerzio (1014 meters) (also known as Mount Avvocata), which overlooks the town of Maiori on the Amalfi Coast. The shrine can be reached only by paths that start from Cava de' Tirreni, Cetara and Maiori, partly along the Alta via dei Monti Lattani. History The origins of the sanctuary date back to 1485: a young shepherd from Maiori, Gabriele Cinnamo, while taking his goats to pasture, discovered a cave in the woods of Mount Falerzio. Following a dream in which the Virgin Mary asked him to build an altar there, the young man left his work and retired to hermitage on the mountain, collecting offerings to build a chapel with an altar in the cave. In 1503, with the consent of Pope Leo X, a church was built on the rock above, and finally the bell tower. In the following years many hermits took care of the church, and devotion to Our Lady Advocate spread among the population of the coastal seaside villages. On April 21, 1590, a small statue of the Virgin was brought to Mount Falerzio as the patron saint of sailors; popular tradition tells of extraordinary events, such as tears from the statue, deliverance of the possessed and healings of the sick thought to be incurable. In 1687 the hermitage passed into the custody of the Camaldolese fathers, who enlarged the church and adjoining living quarters, also equipping them with a library. In 1807 King Joseph Bonaparte of Naples, Napoleon's brother, issued laws suppressing religious orders: the monks were removed, their property confiscated, and a military garrison was placed on the mountain. Bad weather and a fire destroyed what remained of the shrine. It was some devoted citizens of Maiori and the Abbey of Cava de' Tirreni, in the last years of the 19th century, who cleaned and restored the altar and frescoes in the cave, and then rebuilt the church. Since then the shrine has been guarded by the Benedictines of the Abbey of Cava de' Tirreni. The shrine The shrine of Maria Santissima Avvocata above Maiori is a pilgrimage destination, especially in summer; Mass is celebrated on the Monday after Pentecost, the feast day of the Avvocata, and on the third Sunday of the month from April to October. The church has a simple red brick facade; inside, several frescoes depict St. Romuald and Our Lady of the Assumption. In a niche above the high altar is the new statue of Our Lady, made in the 1940s by artisans from Ortisei; it was blessed and crowned by Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square on April 3, 2002. After the celebration from Mass, the statue is carried in procession to the altar in the grotto below. Because of its panoramic location between the mountains and the sea, the shrine is also frequented by tourists and tekking enthusiasts. The path from the forecourt of the Benedictine abbey of Cava de' Tirreni first passes through dense chestnut woods, then, keeping at high altitude, follows the outline of the coastline below, offering a wide panorama of the Gulf of Salerno and the Amalfi Coast. About halfway along the trail, the path up from Cetara is met. A shorter but steeper route starts from Maiori. The Apparition of Our Lady to the shepherd boy. The shepherd boy Gabriele Cinnamo of Ponteprimario, while grazing his sheep on Mount Falerzio, is attracted by a dove going in and out of an ivy-covered rock face. Intrigued, he set out in search and discovered a beautiful cave; after drying it, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him and said, "Gabriel leave the sheep and build an altar and a chapel and I will be your Advocate for life." Gabriel carried out the order, built an altar in the cave of the apparition, where the Virgin visibly appeared to him several times throughout his life, and then having resigned from his master, he became a hermit, asking Abbot Staibano of St. Mary Olearia for the use of the cave that the Abbey owned and built the chapel in honor of Our Lady above the cave. Meanwhile, some of his companions and friends follow him and also put on the habit of hermits and begin the hermit life, praying, working and spreading the cult of the Virgin Advocate. Gabriel also had a panel painting executed that depicted the Virgin Advocate with the Child in her arms who is worshipped by two hermit saints who lived in the caves, St. Paul I and St. Onofrio. Gabriel lived a saintly life and died in the concept of sanctity in 1521 at the age of eighty, his body according to his will was buried in the cave; in 1612 it was moved to the small church and there venerated by the faithful who came to honor Our Lady. After his death the hermitage continued to survive amidst ups and downs, until the municipality of Maiori entrusted it to the Camaldolese monks of Montecorona, who lived up there until the Napoleonic suppression in 1807. A military post installed on the site little by little destroyed everything and the place was reduced to ruin. Source: Wikipedia